The present invention is generally directed to liquid dispensing apparatus and, more particularly, to a quick-connect/disconnect coupling for the transfer of liquid chemicals which are unsuitable for contact with human skin from a container via a vacuum feed line connected to a pump.
Presently, when a vacuum feed line is used while pumping a liquid chemical product from a container, the feed line is inserted directly into the container and immersed in the liquid. During pumping, the container remains open and the liquid is exposed to the atmosphere, which allows the release of hazardous fumes and allows evaporation as well as product spillage. When the pump evacuates the container of its liquid, the user must pull out the feed line in order to then reseal the container to seal any hazardous fumes therein. Further, when the feed line is removed from the container product residue often remains thereon, thus risking exposure of the product to the user's skin or clothing. When the pump is shut off, any product remaining within the feed tube will often backflow out the end of the tube, risking a spillage hazard.